(Having newly entered the Education and Care Industry as a Relief Educator / Student / Apprentice, I have been very lucky indeed to experience working for a Company (*known only as Company for privacy reasons) with 2 very different Centres.
Working with the different children from Nursery to Kindy and School ages has been a humbling and heart filling experience. Exposure to the various rooms, Educators and the National Quality Framework in action has been interesting and thought provoking for me. This is my first blog post about Early Childhood Education and my role in it.
Over the summer months, I challeged myself to gain as much practical vocational experience while studying full time. I have almost completed the mandatory 240 hours required for Diploma level students over 18 months. Aside from an initiation of fire, snot and other unmentionables (my immune system is completely shot for now).
I bit off more than I can chew and I am still chewing.
.. This article by our friends at Early Childhood Australia has helped me immensely to understand other perspectives and the current and ongoing debates regarding the things that make most Educators feel passionate and frustrated about at the same time.
I really do not feel as alone after reading this timely article for me. I simply want to improve my own practices and encourage debate and improvement within the teams I work with. As a Mother and Educator, I feel that my intentions, quality of care and nurturing is unquestionable.
The requirements of my study mean that I must log hours and demonstrate a Portfolio of Evidence as I go. Due to privacy, I cannot take or use images of children, so blogging and pinterest is just one of the ways that I am gathering this, as evidence in the industry is now mostly digitally recorded. Storypark is used at both Centres where I work and is a really beautiful and smart way to connect children, families and Educational Outcomes to the community. I am looking forward to creating ‘Learning Stories’ as my role expands.
Commenting on my role as an Educator and as an Adult learner – I am someone who has basically bought herself a job (willingly chose) to work with Children. I have initiative and drive to provide the Best care and quality for the little Ones in my care. Most women in my current age, state, marital status, location and eveything else in bewteen – are looking to exit the Industry and move on to better paying roles. This is a great shame to me, that one of the most influential roles of all beside your own as a Parent is being abandoned because of the conditions that are offered to dedicated, hard working people. Rant aside, there must surely be solutions to attracting and keeping people who are passionate about the rights, wellbeing and development of our kids.
I want to say my own big thank you my Mentors in the Industry. Who have displayed an excellence and a passion for Quality care and education for Children. It is with professional coaching and in depth understanding that I have been provided with feedback, knowledge, ongoing support and opportunity.